Dispersion and Scattering of Light — Chapter Summary
NIOS · Class 12 · Physics
Summary of Dispersion and Scattering of Light for NIOS Class 12 Physics. Part of the NIOS Class 12 Physics syllabus.
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Overview
When white sunlight passes through a glass prism, it splits into a beautiful band of seven colours — violet, indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange, and red (VIBGYOR). This splitting is called dispersion of light. Similarly, when we look at the blue sky or witness a breathtaking rainbow after rain, we
Key Concepts
Dispersion is the splitting of white
Dispersion is the splitting of white (polychromatic) light into its constituent colours (wavelengths) when it passes through an optically denser mediu
The refractive index μ of
The refractive index μ of a medium is defined as μ = c/v, where c is the speed of light in vacuum and v is the speed in the medium. Since c = νλₐ and
When a ray PQ enters
When a ray PQ enters a prism ABC at face AB with angle of incidence i, it refracts inside the prism (angle r₁), travels to face AC, and emerges with a
As the angle of incidence i
As the angle of incidence i is varied, the angle of deviation δ first decreases, reaches a minimum value δm, and then increases again. This minimum de
Angular Dispersion is the difference
Angular Dispersion is the difference in deviation angles for two extreme colours of the visible spectrum: Angular Dispersion = δV - δR. The yellow col
Learning Objectives
- Explain the phenomenon of dispersion of light and understand why it occurs in optically denser media
- Derive the relation between angle of deviation (δ), angle of prism (A), and refractive index (μ) of the prism material
- Understand the concept of minimum deviation and use the formula μ = sin((A+δm)/2) / sin(A/2) to solve numerical problems
- Define angular dispersion and dispersive power, and calculate them using the formula ω = (μV - μR)/(μY - 1)
- Explain the formation of primary and secondary rainbows using the principles of refraction, internal reflection, and dispersion
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